🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Clergy Sexual Abuse Express Hope After Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors gather in Vatican Square following the encounter with the Pontiff Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted 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 acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked. Legacy Issue The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse. Personal Connection For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches. "We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence. The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." The Pontiff celebrates Mass in the Vatican on 19 October Church Regulations Changes The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide. They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff. "He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act." The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment." Path Ahead The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated. Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."