🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Religious Sex Abuse Voice Hope Following Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and survivors pose in Vatican Square after the meeting with Pope Leo People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue. Global Strict Policy Advocated The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US. The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades. Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse. Personal Connection For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches. "We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Significant Encounter Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in Vatican City on recently Canon Law Reforms The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo. "He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted. Accountability Emphasized A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act." The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated. They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."