By Carol Kuruvilla, religion reporter,\u00a004\/30\/2018<\/p>\n
\u201cToday I have more hope in the future of our church,\u201d said Juan Carlos Cruz. \u201cEven though the task is enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three Chilean survivors of clergy sex abuse said they are encouraged after private meetings with Pope Francis at the Vatican.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The conversations, which took place over the weekend at the pope\u2019s Casa Santa Marta residence, were arranged by the Vatican after Francis received harsh criticism for his handling of the sex abuse crisis in Chile.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Twitter, Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Murillo said he tried to emphasize to the pope that the abuse he had suffered as a teenager at the hands of a pedophile priest was specifically an \u201cabuse of power.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0He wrote that he had spoken to Francis for two hours. Another victim, James Hamilton, tweeted that his conversation with Francis was \u201cenormously constructive\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and that he left it \u201cvery happy and satisfied.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Juan Carlos Cruz, the third victim, wrote on Twitter<\/a> that he had spoken privately with Francis for more than 2\u00bd hours on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cHe listened to me with great respect, affection and closeness, like a father. We talked about many subjects,\u201d Cruz wrote. \u201cToday I have more hope in the future of our church… even though the task is enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Before the meetings, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke announced that the Holy See will not be releasing official press statements<\/a>\u00a0about the conversations, since Francis\u2019 primary intention was to \u201clisten to the victims, ask them for forgiveness and respect the confidentiality of these meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n Francis had previously received sharp rebuke from clergy sex abuse victims and their advocates after he was caught on tape in January accusing the men of slander<\/a>\u00a0against Chile\u2019s Bishop Juan Barros. Murillo, Hamilton and Cruz claim Barros witnessed abuse carried out by the Rev. Fernando Karadima but did nothing to stop it. The three men testified against Karadima during a Vatican trial that eventually led to the priest\u2019s conviction in 2011. Barros continues to deny knowing about the abuse.<\/p>\n Francis appointed Barros to lead the diocese of Osorno in 2015 despite protestations from Chilean politicians and local Catholic clergy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Earlier this month, Francis admitted that he had made \u201cserious errors\u201d in handling Chile\u2019s sex abuse scandal due to a \u201clack of truthful and balanced information.\u201d In a rare move, he also summoned all 32 of Chile\u2019s bishops to Rome during the third week of May to discuss the allegations against Barros.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability, an organization that tracks clergy sex abuse worldwide, said that she was moved by the \u201cgraciousness\u201d of the three men after their meetings with Francis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cGiven the years of silence and disrespect they\u2019ve endured from church officials, including Pope Francis, they could have refused the pope\u2019s invitation,\u201d she told HuffPost in an email. \u201cBut always, Juan Carlos Cruz, Jimmy Hamilton and Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Murillo focus on the bigger picture \u2015 in this case, the plight of the many Chilean victims who have no voice, and the ongoing safety crisis in Chilean parishes and Catholic schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Barrett Doyle cautioned that speaking with survivors is a start, but it doesn\u2019t constitute change. She hopes that,\u00a0along with removing Barros and other Chilean clergy who were aware of Karadima\u2019s crimes, Francis will also create an efficient system<\/a>\u00a0for investigating and disciplining bishops who have enabled child abuse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMeeting with survivors is a time-tested, winning public relations tactic for popes and bishops,\u201d Barrett Doyle said. \u201cTime will tell whether these meetings were mere damage control or a precursor of desperately needed systemic change in the global Catholic church.\u201d<\/p>\n