🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Voice Hope Following Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and victims gather in St. Peter Square following the encounter with Pope Leo People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem. Global Strict Policy Pushed The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US. The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Legacy Issue The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years. Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Link For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse." Historic Encounter Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America. Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable." "Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." The Pontiff celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Canon Law Changes The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo. "He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked. Accountability Emphasized A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence." The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented. They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."