Italy: As protests go, the one staged yesterday afternoon in St Peter's Square by Snap, Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, was very much of the symbolic variety.
Barbara Blaine, president of Snap, was there to express her dismay that the Cardinal Emeritus of Boston, Bernard Law, celebrated in the basilica of St Peter's the fourth of the nine Novemdiales - Masses of mourning that traditionally mark the period between the death of a pope and the beginning of the conclave that will elect his successor.
Ms Blaine was alone and her "protest" involved handing out a leaflet and holding a pre-staged news conference. Even though the rain fell hard and the carabinieri set about shoving the media pack even harder, she still managed to get her message across.
She had come to argue that it was inappropriate that Cardinal Law, who resigned in 2002 following accusations that he covered up sexual abuse of children by priests in the archdiocese, should preside over such a Mass at such a time.
"I am a survivor, I was abused by a priest as a child. I'm here because we want to prevent any further harm and pain for anyone," she said. "At this time, when the Catholic community across the globe is mourning and grieving the loss of Pope John Paul II, we just don't believe this is the appropriate time to be elevating the image of Cardinal Law.
"His image is basically that of the poster child of the sex-abuse scandal in America and his position at this time only brings about more pain and suffering for the families, the victims and the Catholic community at large.
"He has violated the trust of so many. Think about the children that were raped and sodomised and sexually molested and the pain and suffering their families have gone through. We're talking about over a thousand victims, over a thousand families in that one archdiocese under the leadership of Cardinal Law."
Two hours later, seemingly oblivious to that protest earlier in the afternoon, Cardinal Law seemed serene and unruffled as he presided over a Mass attended by many of the 134 cardinals now in Rome.
Since retiring from the archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Law has served as the archpriest of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) and it was in that capacity that he presided over Mass yesterday. Inevitably, he made no reference in his homily to Boston, the sex abuse scandals or the "protest" outside.
Recalling the figure of John Paul II, he likened him to St Paul. "Like St Paul, John Paul II travelled to the four ends of the earth to preach the gospel," said the cardinal, who went on to recall the many visits the Pope had made to parishes throughout "his own" archdiocese, that of Rome.
Cardinal Law prompted a sustained round of applause from the packed basilica when making special mention of the late Pope's faithful private secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who served alongside John Paul for 38 years.
As the basilica and the massed ranks of the princes of the church prayed, it was hard not to feel that they and the symbolic protester outside were hardly on the same wavelength.
"The church needs the voices of the victims," said Ms Blaine. "The church needs to address this issue, first of all for its own sanctification to further its mission on earth and to have any credibility when it stands up and takes positions on any social issue."
In a separate development, the Vatican has confirmed that the Vatican crypt where John Paul II lies buried will be open to the public from tomorrow.