🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Religious Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism Following Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global board members and survivors pose in Vatican Square following the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated. Legacy Challenge The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years. Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse." Historic Meeting Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America. They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable." "Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in Vatican City on 19 October Church Regulations Reforms The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff. "He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked. Responsibility Emphasized A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence." The report also pointed out that victims 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 informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated. They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."