Colm O'Gorman calls on people hurt or abused by church to join solidarity meeting
Colm O'Gorman has called on people who were hurt or abused by members of the Catholic Church to join a solidarity meeting to be held at the same time as Pope Francis begins mass in Dublin.
The Head of Amnesty in Ireland is organising the event in a personal capacity.
He says it is not a protest but is designed to bring together those who have been hurt by the church and also their loved ones.
In our silence we collude. By refusing to stand up, speak out and take action when we know the harm being done, we become complicit. We will not be complicit. We will not be silent. Join me and together we will #Stand4Truth #Papalvisit #Vatican https://t.co/dHKlnlZYzW
— Colm O'Gorman 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🇮🇪 (@Colmogorman) August 2, 2018
The meeting will start at 3pm on Sunday August 26 at the Garden of Remembrance.
Pope Francis is due to begin mass at the same time in the Phoenix Park.
Mr O'Gorman says any meeting held between the Pope and survivors behind closed doors will be ineffective.
"It would all be very quiet and private and secret," said Mr O'Gorman.
"They'd say that the Pope listened carefully to the stories that were told to him. That he was aggrieved and heart-broken and distressed to hear the trauma that people had suffered and that he expressed his sorrow at the actions of some priests and maybe even the failure of some bishops.
"But that is not an appropriate response from an institution that was directly involved in the cover-up of those crimes. That there is ultimate responsibility."
