Representatives of Pope Benedict XVI have told a victim support group an apology to sexual abuse victims is being considered during his visit to Australia.
But Melbourne-based Broken Rites said they were not holding out hope for a meaningful apology.
Broken Rites president Chris MacIsaac said the group wrote to the Pope's representatives asking him to apologise to victims while in Sydney for this month's World Youth Day.
They received a reply saying the request would be considered, she said.
Many thousands of young churchgoers are expected to descend on Sydney for a series of events from July 15 to 20.
Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell this week raised hopes of a possible apology, saying any such statement by the Pope would be a "welcome contribution" at World Youth Day.
However Ms MacIsaac said it had been weeks since the group last heard anything from the Pope's representatives.
So this week she wrote to 150 Catholic parishes across Melbourne, asking them to offer their church as a vigil site for sex abuse victims during the Pope's visit to Sydney.
"We have decided if we can't get anything from the upper decks of the church, we will go to the lower," she told AAP.
She wants the vigil to be held on July 12, the day before the Pope arrives in Australia, as a measure of support for victims.
The fact the Pope's representatives had not responded showed the church didn't want to face the issue of sex abuse, she said.
"The World Youth Day is an issue in that the churches are prepared to spend so much money on it, to attract young people into the church, but do not want to face up to and acknowledge the enormity of the sexual abuse issue," Ms MacIsaac said.
"There's something wrong there, there's a real imbalance."
Victims don't just want platitudes, she said, they want a "meaningful" apology.
"There needs to be actions, and dialogue, and meetings between clergy and victims, to really follow up on the apology," Ms MacIsaac said.
But they had no plans to head to Sydney to make their voice heard.
"What we can do, what we think is best for victims, is to be here in Melbourne to support them," she said.
Broken Rites says there are concerns among victims about powers introduced by the NSW government, known as "annoyance" laws.
The regulations allow police to issue $5500 ($NZ7043.15) fines to anyone deemed to be "causing annoyance" during World Youth Day events.
"What we're being told is that people are really disillusioned because of it," Ms MacIsaac said.
"There's people who just want to wear a T-shirt that means something to them and now we find they have to get those approved."
She's most concerned about individual victims who may wish to protest about their situation during the Pope's visit, but who will find themselves moved away, or even fined, because of it.
