Vespers in the dark...

The evening’s breath stirs,  

as I struggle to cast off

sins of today.

I shudder when recalling past Vespers.

Your voice – joy to me once,

heralds a heinous incantation. 

The hand of God reaches out – you echo;

All while groping, slowly stroking me up and down.

Letting go, my body responds completely….

Always afterward, I determined I was to blame.

You offered tears, absolution, and admonishments.

All I must do was keep this secret – you warned.

Now as I am older,

seeking redemption for my tortured soul;

I fear these torments continue with others.

Cases of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests have led to numerous allegations, investigations, trials and convictions. The abused included boys as young as 3 years old, with the majority being between the ages of 11 and 14. Accusations received wide publicity in the late 1980s. Many of these involved cases in which a priest was accused of abuse for decades; such allegations were frequently made by adults or older youths years after the abuse occurred. A systematic cover-up by bishops and other hierarchy in many dioceses over decades compounded the crimes of pedophile priests who raped children and committed other sexual abuses.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was instituted by Pope Francis on 22 March 2014 to deal with the scandal of sex abuse of minors. Its singular purpose is to propose initiatives that could protect children from pedophiles in the church. However, most recently, the Commission announced that a member, Marie Collins, quit out of "frustration" at an alleged lack of cooperation from other Vatican offices. Collins was sexually abused by a priest when she was an adolescent.

The only other abuse survivor who had served on the commission, Peter Saunders, a British advocate for victims, was sidelined last year by the panel after clashing with it over its mission. Saunders, who was given a leave of absence, has said he has lost faith in the pope's ability to deal with the problem.

Collins departure delivered another blow to the Vatican's insistence that it is working to ensure that no more children are abused by predator priests.