🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Express Hope After Meeting with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and victims gather in St. Peter Square after the meeting with Pope Leo Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated. Inherited Issue The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada. They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Canon Law Reforms The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked. Responsibility Emphasized A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented. Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."