'Cautious Optimism' Over Pope From Church Sex Abuse Victims

Clergy sex abuse victims have "cautious optimism" that Pope Francis, as an outsider to the Vatican with an eye to social justice, will take action against sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. So says Becky Diann of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and a victim of an abusive priest during her childhood.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

US

Topics

United States

People

Francis I, Becky Ianni

Places

United States of America, Virginia

Transcript

SHOTLIST: BURKE, VIRGINIA, MARCH 14, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV SOUNDBITE 1 Becky Ianni (woman), Virginia Director, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) (English, 22 sec): "We have sort of cautious optimism. You know, we don't really know what he's going to do. But, you know, the fact that he took the name Francis, I think, is significant because Francis was one of the greatest reformers in the Church. And so we hope that he's going to reform the Church as far as the sex abuse crisis and how it's being handled, and that he's going to take some real action to protect kids." SOUNDBITE 3 Becky Ianni (woman), Virginia Director, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) (English, 14 sec): "Pope Benedict did a lot of gestures. And we don't really need gestures. We need action; we need him to do something. We need Pope Francis to do something that's going to show that, 'I'm going to protect children, and that's going to be my priority'." SOUNDBITE 4 Becky Ianni (woman), Virginia Director, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) (English, 28 sec): "I was abused as a child, from an age of nine to 11, by a priest who was a family friend. He would eat dinner at the house, bought us our first color television. He went on vacation with us. And, you know, the abuse was devastating. I was frightened. I was told I would go to Hell. And I always felt like he was, you know, God. He was sent from God. You're always told the pope is sent by God, the priests are sent by God. So, therefore, it was my fault. I was the dirty little girl. And so I never told anyone until the age of 48." SOUNDBITE 5 Becky Ianni (woman), Virginia Director, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) (English, 14 sec): "What I went through as a victim was very painful, and I'm still dealing with it as an adult. And so I want to do whatever's possible. And if the Church, with the enormous power that they have -- if Pope Francis can make that change, then that's what I want to see happen." - Becky Ianni walks into her kitchen - VAR cutaway of Ianni - Ianni speaking about photos of her as girl at time of abuses ------------------------