US ambassador to the Vatican meets with abuse survivors and urges ‘renewed commitment’ to ending clergy abuse
|Rome (CNN)The US ambassador to the Vatican met Friday with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, saying she hopes a historic summit at the Vatican this week will lead to a “renewed commitment” in the Catholic Church to end the scourge of clergy sexual abuse.
“President Trump takes this issue very seriously and has expressed his sadness at the allegations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church,” Ambassador Callista Gingrich said in a statement. “The United States Embassy has engaged senior Vatican officials on this matter and will continue to do so.”
Dozens of survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic clergy are in Rome this week to protest and offer testimonies about their experiences outside of an unprecedented summit in Vatican City, where nearly 200 church leaders have been convened by Pope Francis.