A report that found widespread sexual and physical abuse at Marylands School in Christchurch last century, was hand-delivered to the Vatican in Rome on Friday (NZ time).
It was carried by one of the survivors of that abuse, Darryl Smith. He's timed his trip to coincide with a major summit on the future direction of the Catholic Church.
Smith isn't visiting the Vatican City with the wide eyes of a tourist - he is here on a mission.
Gripped in his hands at all times is the Royal Commission report, which details his early schooling years in Christchurch as "hell on earth".
"It means a lot, it means they can't bury it ever again. It's a government document, it can't be buried. It means a hell of a lot to me personally," he told Newshub.
Smith is haunted by the abuse he suffered as a young boy at the hands of the Brothers of St John of God at Marylands School in Christchurch.
"I feel like I'm scum, like I'm a second-class citizen in New Zealand. I have nothing, I'm worthless," he said.
The order is no longer active in New Zealand but its headquarters remain in Rome. On Friday Smith went there to deliver the report to them in person. But no one would come outside to receive it when he tried the intercom.
He left it for them in the hope that they will read it. And he left feeling let down by the church - once again.
"This is the head office and they do absolutely nothing but hide behind a bloody wall, I'm furious," he told Newshub.
He is supported in Rome by friends on the same mission from all over the world. And by fellow Kiwi Murray Heasley, who is an advocate for survivors of clergy abuse.
"If you look around you'll see survivors from 21 different nations, multiple languages. It is a global problem, it is a global solution that is required, it's not just New Zealand," Heasley said.
They're meeting at the Vatican to call on the Pope to make zero tolerance of clergy abuse a universal law of the church.
"We have to believe it's going to happen or we wouldn't be there," Heasley said.
Pope Francis is currently preparing the Vatican to host a major summit next week, with bishops from all over the world travelling to discuss the future direction of the Catholic Church.
Apologies aren't enough, Smith said.
"We're not going away, you can blank at us by not talking to us, you can shut the door and never let us in but it makes us stronger," he said.
And louder than ever.
