Will Pope Francis discuss child sex abuse during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia?

Activists call out to Pope Francis for the topic

Starting in the the early 1980's, John Salveson began writing many letters requesting for the priest who molested him when he was a teenager be removed from priesthood. Many years later, Salveson has not given up his efforts.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Salveson's bishop did respond to him, but the priest he complained about remains in priesthood, only transferring parishes throughout the late '80s. Eventually, Salveson led a group that advocated for church reform. However, by mid-2000s, he had grown disheartened and moved his focus to asserting for stronger laws and implementation.

Stimulated by Pope Francis's trip to Philadelphia this fall, Salveson renewed his activism toward the church, calling for the Pope and other participants in a global Catholic meeting on family issues to discourse child sex abuse by clergy members and wear black ribbons to represent what he described as "the darkness that infects the souls of survivors."

According to advocates, most sex abuse survivors have never received an apology from their church leaders. The victims are incapable of seeking relief in criminal or civil courts, because of rulings of limitation, leaving them with deep scars that make it challenging to keep a job or maintain an intimate relationship.

The official program for Francis' U.S. trip includes no indication of the topic, although some experts think the Pope will address it in an improvised manner, as Pope Benedict did during his last trip to the United States in 2008.

The U.S. visit is a cause for celebration among those who believe Pope Francis is the first Pope to begin restoring the Catholic Church's moral authority after sex abuse scandals, which previously caused many American Catholics to stray away from their faith.

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