Abuse survivors cycle to Rome, deliver ‘broken heart,’ ask for action

18 May 2023

By Contributor

By Carol Glatz

Survivors Bike to Rome
Pope Francis stands for a photograph with a group of survivors of abuse by priests and religious, and with supporters, at the end of his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican 17 May 2023. Eight men and one woman bicycled from Munich to Rome in a pilgrimage supported by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, urging Pope Francis to make the church a safe space and to send “a clear signal” to perpetrators and bishops who avoid action. Photo: CNS/courtesy Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Robert Kiderle.

A group of survivors of abuse by priests and religious cycled hundreds of kilometres from southern Germany to Rome to urge Pope Francis “to do everything in your power” to make the Catholic Church a safe space and to send “a clear signal” to perpetrators and bishops who avoid action.

“The victims of abuse and violence in the Archdiocese of Munich turn to you, Holy Father, with open and at the same time wounded hearts,” the group said in a letter hand delivered to the Holy Father at the end of his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, Wednesday May 17.

“The first steps have been taken, but from our perspective a strong and clear commitment is still needed from all responsible persons within the Curia and in the dioceses of the universal church,” the letter said. “In addition, a clear signal must be sent to perpetrators and bishops who have not fulfilled their responsibilities and who, to a certain extent, still do not do so today.”

In addition to the two-page letter, the group also gave Pope Francis a small heart-shaped sculpture by Munich artist Michael Pendry. “The work does not show the usual, romantic heart,” the group said in its letter.

Pope Francis accepts a gift from Richard Kick, spokesman for the independent Advisory Board for Affected Persons in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, at the end of his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican 17 May 2023. Mr Kick was one of nine survivors of abuse by clergy who bicycled from Munich to Rome. The gift was artwork by Michael Pendry depicting an “open” and “broken” heart. Photo: CNS/courtesy Archdiocese of Munich and Freising/Robert Kiderle.

Instead, the grid-like frame structure of the heart shows “many open parts” and is “hard-edged and wounded. We as people who have been abused can easily see ourselves in this representation,” it said. Affixed on a chunk of dark granite, the sculpture also included an engraved verse from Psalm 147:3 which speaks of the Lord “healing the broken hearted.”

Eight men and one woman completed the journey by bicycle, leaving Munich on Saturday 6 May with a send-off ceremony attended by the city’s mayor and church officials, and arriving in Rome Tuesday 16 May.

The 724-kilometre pilgrimage was called, “We are setting out! Church, are you with us?” and was supported by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

The pilgrimage was organised by Dietmar Achleitner, Richard Kick and Kilian Semel, who are members of the Advisory Council for Abuse Victims and Survivors in the archdiocese, and Robert Köhler of “We Know About It,” a safeguarding advocacy group focusing on religious orders.

Pope Francis greets Richard Kick, spokesman for the independent Advisory Board for Affected Persons in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, at the end of his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican 017 May 2023. Mr Kick was one of nine survivors of abuse by clergy who bicycled from Munich to Rome to ask Pope Francis to make the Catholic Church a safe space and to send “a clear signal” to perpetrators and bishops who avoid action. Photo: CNS/courtesy Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Robert Kiderle.

The cyclists’ average age was 65, the oldest being Achleitner, who recently turned 80. They wanted to make the journey by bicycle to show strength, hope and healing, and to encourage others to “get up” and reach out for support, Kick said in an interview with DomRadio.de May 6.

“The group’s expectations and hopes were fulfilled, the meeting with the pope was very moving,” Semel said in a press release published on the Munich archdiocesan website Wednesday 17 May.

Mr Köhler said Pope Francis was “very responsive to us.”

In a video of the encounter, a woman asked the Holy Father in Italian, “What are you doing for victims of abuse?” to which he responded it was his “priority.”

On May 18 about 15 victims of abuse and companions were to speak about abuse and prevention at a meeting with Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, director of the Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.