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TUCSON - A local group is supporting a nationwide outcry against how the Pope handled the documented clergy sex abuse and alleged cover up.

The grassroots group of Catholics who call themselves Send the Bishops a Message, chose the church's annual Peter's Pence Papal Collection Day urging people donate to charities other than the Catholic religion.

"We're here for two things," says organizer Frank Douglas. "To protect children and to heal the wounded."

"There are still sexual predators in the Catholic church and they're being hidden by the bishops and the Pope," says Douglas.

A statement issued from the Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, says, "The Pope has consistently supported efforts to address child abuse by priests and to support the zero tolerance policy."

Meantime Douglas still wants people to donate on Peter's Pence Sunday, just not to the Catholic church, "Take the world by the scruff of the neck and make your own decision about where your money goes."

Douglas say by putting just one penny in the collection plate will send a message of dissatisfaction.

He says this message is directed to the Pope, "That he is on the wrong track. That we want transparency, accountability and we want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Kincanas says Catholics can be assured their gifts are used only to support the charitable ministries in desperately poor and struggling nations.

He also says diocese across the United States, including Tucson, put in place significant policies and procedures to provide a safe environment for children.

To learn more visit http://www.sendthebishopsamessage.com/index.html

Read the Tucson Bishop's statement in it's entirety below:

Statement from Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson

The charities supported by the gifts of Catholics to the Peter's Pence Collection do immense good throughout the world. Catholics an be assured that their gifts are used only to support the charitable ministries of the Holy Father in desperately poor and struggling nations.

Because of this worldwide collection, the Holy Father is able to personally direct charity on behalf of the entire Church. The collection provides for the needs of the Church in struggling parts of the world, including providing humanitarian assistance to victims of war, oppression and natural disasters. Two examples of assistance provided by the Holy Father thanks to the generosity of parishioners have been the establishment of a village for HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya and the establishment of the Hospital of St. Vincent de Paul in Bosnia.

We can all be very proud of how our gifts and the sharing of our blessings benefit countless numbers of people, especially the littlest and weakest among us. I have very confidence our people will be as generous as they have always been.

The Holy Father has expressed his profound sorrow and regret about the sin and crime of sexual abuse by priests and the failure of some bishops to respond appropriately to abuse of children by priests. He made this very clear in his statement to the thousands of priests gathered in St. Peter's Basilica two weeks ago to conclude the Year for Priests. He has expressed his deep sorrow to victims of abuse personally in face-to-face meetings on several occasions. He has established a special study of the tragedy of abuse within the Church in Ireland.

He has consistently supported the efforts of the U.S. Bishops to address child abuse by priests and to support the zero tolerance policy. In dioceses across the U.S., including our Diocese of Tucson, significant policies and procedures have been put in place to provide safe environments for children and vulnerable adults. These include mandatory reporting all allegations of sexual abuse to civil authorities (which the Holy Father has emphasized), background checks and criminal history checks for Church employees and volunteers, personal safety education for children and child abuse awareness and prevention education for parents, grandparents and Church volunteers and employees.

Clearly, Pope Benedict encourages and supports efforts within the Church to put in place effective ways of preventing and responding to sexual abuse of minors.