Pope absolutely refuses to meet with Argentinian abuse victims

Argentine victims of child sexual abuse have been "ignored" by the Pope for 10 years

The founders of the NGO "Adultxs por los Derechos de la Infancia" (Adults for Children's Rights), Silvia Piceda and Sebastián Cuattromo, criticize the "lack of empathy" of Pope Francis, who has "ignored" their multiple requests to be received.    

"After 10 years of Francis' papacy, in Argentina we are light years away from the Church doing Justice," says victim of child sexual abuse by prelates

"That the Pope refuses to attend to us is something painful that speaks of a historical lack of will to face an enormous injustice," Cuattromo lamented in statements in Rome during a European tour of the association during which they have once again requested to meet with the pontiff.

Cuattromo's attempts to see Jorge Mario Bergoglio began in 2002, when the current pope was acting as cardinal of Buenos Aires. "When I denounced the abuses that I experienced in a Catholic school, the treatment I received from the Argentine ecclesiastical hierarchy led by Francisco was profoundly arrogant and enormously underestimating the seriousness of the crime," he explained.

"After 10 years of Francis' papacy, in Argentina we are light years away from being able to think that the Catholic hierarchy will really look for concrete ways to repair and bring justice to all victims of abuse. That is why we are going to continue insisting and asking that they be receive and recognize us," said Cuattromo.

Raped by Marianista school teacher

"The gestures of political, civil and religious authorities are very important because they serve to reach those comrades who are still in hiding and feeling ashamed," he added. Both Piceda and Cuattromo suffered repeated sexual abuse during her childhood: Piceda was raped by her uncle and when she told her family about it, she was completely ignored by her family; Meanwhile, Cuattromo lived through the abuse of a young teacher at the Marianista School in Buenos Aires.

Decades after the rapes, both victims decided to make their suffering public and created the association "Adultxs por los Derechos de la infancia", with which they have traveled throughout Argentina adding support and making visible the traumatic experiences of other people in their same situation.

"Those of us who experience these abuses carry traumas similar to those that occur in people who have experienced a war or have gone through a concentration camp. Most of us have repeatedly attempted suicide, while others have addictions and psychological problems." Piceda explained to EFE.

"We are survivors: chronicle of childhood sexual abuse"

The Argentine organization recalls the omnipresence of sexual abuse of boys and girls in all countries of the world and that, far from what it might seem, most cases occur in the "trusted environment" of minors, it is say, in their families or schools.

"According to the Council of Europe, one in five people we come across on the street was the victim of sexual abuse during childhood. These data show that this is an absolutely cross-cutting problem and that around the world there are people who are raped and abusers", affirmed the founder of "Adultxs por los Derechos de la infancia" .

On the tour, Piceda and Cuattromo will meet with associations of rape victims in countries such as Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Belgium, where they will present the book "We are survivors: chronicle of sexual abuse in childhood" and will share experiences and strategies to make child abuse visible.

Source