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Sex abuse victims from across the world have taken their protests condemning the Catholic Church's handling of the scandals to the Vatican's doorstep.

Hundreds of protestors, including some relatives and victims of the Catholic Church's sex scandal, gathered in Rome at the edge of St. Peter's Square on Sunday. The demonstration was organized by a US group called Survivor's Voice, whose founding members are victims of Catholic Church child abuse.

Gary Bergeron, one of the founding members, stated that the purpose of the protest was "to bring survivors and supporters from around the world together for the first time," Sky News reported.

He said the victims had not been given permission to enter St. Peter's Square as a group, but they would attempt to go in smaller groups to leave letters and stones to show they had visited the Vatican.

People from 13 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Britain, The Netherlands, and the United States, met before the demonstration and shared their stories with fellow victims.

The Catholic Church has been hit by numerous sex abuse scandals over the past twelve months. Some people even urged Pope Benedict XVI to step down after allegations surfaced that he had covered up some cases of abuse.

Just this year, at least 300 people have accused a number of German Catholic priests of sexual or physical abuse.

The Catholic Church covered up the incidents by simply reappointing pedophile priests elsewhere instead of punishing them.