Dedicated day of prayer for clerical abuse survivors

The first Friday of Lent next year is to be declared a dedicated day of prayer for survivors of clerical abuse.

The unprecedented move by the Catholic Church in this country is a response to a request by Pope Francis to bishops worldwide.

Abuse survivor, Marie Collins, who also sits on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Vatican, said the day “will make a difference to some victims as a gesture of acknowledgement of their hurt, and less so to others”.