Bethlehem, Pennsylvania(CNN) Pope Francis is failing the thousands of victims of abusive priests in the US and around the world, survivors told CNN in emotional interviews.
A rare letter of apology and contrition from Francis, and his promised meeting with Irish victims of priestly abuse this weekend has done nothing to ease the ongoing pain of the five people we met in Pennsylvania, where a grand jury concluded earlier this month that hundreds of priests raped, molested and abused boys and girls for decades.
The Pope wrote that the church "abandoned" child victims while the perpetrators were protected. He called for fellow Catholics to fast and pray, but offered no new directions to stop any current or future abuse.
Those were hollow words for these four people abused by priests and a father who lost his son to drugs after his molestation.
This is what they want Francis to know:
"You need to clean up your act. You need to get your church in order. You need to take all of those priests that have been abusing children and put them in jail so they cannot abuse children any longer.
"You know, his letter was really nicely written. I give him credit for that, but it was not sincere. He was not proactive. And the only reason that he did it was because of the pressure. It was pressure on him to say something."
"Prayer, penance, fasting, they're all words. I need action. You know, you want to step up and take control of your church? Demand that these bishops and these cardinals stop protecting predators, stop the lobbying against legislation that would help victims past, present, and future.
"Pretend it was your father, that got abused. What would you do to protect your dad, Pope Francis? Would you pray for him? That would be it? Would you fast? Would that be it? That's not enough for us. He needs to take control of the church."
"I think the Pope needs to know that the church speaks on exactly what you're supposed to do -- to repent and be prepared for the next life.
"I would just ask him to practice what they preach. Come to Pennsylvania and take these people out of ministry. Make an example out of them."
"Stop the prayer and penance and skipping meals and fasting or whatever and start paying attention to the victims. Not the handpicked victims that he has been -- and the other popes have all paid attention to. They're not listening to us, he is not listening to us.
"So if Pope Francis wanted to do something, maybe that would be a good place to start, but I really don't have much to say to him.
"I don't have the same feelings about a pope that I did before '02 (the revelation of the priest molestation scandal in Boston in 2002.)"
"If I had an opportunity to meet with the Pope, I would want to hear his confession.
"I would tell the Pope, make Jesus proud of you. Come to Pennsylvania and demand that the (statute of limitations) be removed ... and stop protecting the enablers and abusers.
"Those actions of prayer, penance, and fasting, he does have that to ease his conscience, but that does nothing for the victims."