🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Voice Hope After Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square following the encounter with the Pontiff Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated. Inherited Issue The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years. Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Personal Link For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Historic Encounter Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada. Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth." "Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel 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 celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Canon Law Reforms The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo. "He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document 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." Path Ahead Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented. They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."