Fifteen Catholic Church abuse victims met in Brussels on Saturday with representatives of the bishops to discuss the details of their upcoming meeting with the Pope.
The hour-long meeting is set to take place on Friday afternoon “with complete discretion”. The exact location remains undisclosed.
Father Rik Devillé, founder of the Church’s human rights working group, criticised the meeting's organisation, comparing it to the abuse system itself.
“Victims are once again being placed in the role where nothing could be revealed,” said Father Devillé, whose work inspired the award-winning VRT documentary series ‘Godvergeten’ (God's Forgotten). “For some, this is a painful matter, while others look forward to shaking the Pope’s hand.”
There will be no room for improvisation during the meeting, Father Devillé asserted. Clear agreements have been made about how the victims will convey their messages to the Church leader.
Each victim, comprising nine Dutch speakers and six French speakers, will have four minutes to speak, including translation and introduction, according to Devillé. “This is disproportionate to the hundreds of victims,” noted the priest, who views the conversation as futile. “The Pope is already aware of all these cases. It would be commendable if he took global responsibility, punished perpetrators, and took complaints seriously.”
The Belgian Catholic Church has not disclosed any details about the meeting. In June, the bishops reached out to victims to see who would be willing to meet the Pope. According to the Bishops’ Conference, more than 80 victims responded to the call, of which fifteen were selected.
