🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Express Hope Following Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors pose in Vatican Square after the meeting with the Pontiff Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See. The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US. The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated. Legacy Issue The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades. Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Personal Link For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada. Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on recently Canon Law Reforms The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide. They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff. "He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted. Accountability Highlighted A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff 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 negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, 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 persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented. They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."