🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Express Optimism Following Meeting with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors pose in Vatican Square following the encounter with Pope Leo People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See. Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US. The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Inherited Issue The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse. Personal Link For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence. The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in Vatican City on recently Church Regulations Reforms The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff. "He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act." The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up." Moving Forward The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated. They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."