🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Hope Following Encounter with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square after the meeting with Pope Leo Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See. The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem. Global Strict Policy Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States. The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse. Personal Connection For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse." Significant Encounter Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us." The Pontiff celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Reforms The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Emphasized A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up." Moving Forward Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated. They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."