🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Express Hope Following Encounter with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors pose in St. Peter Square after the meeting with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican. The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US. The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts 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 assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Personal Link For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Historic Encounter Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable." "Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Reforms The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo. "He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked. Accountability Highlighted A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence." The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up." Moving Forward Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented. They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."