๐ Share this article Victims of Church Clergy Sex Abuse Express Hope After Meeting with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square after the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US. The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Legacy Issue The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Personal Link For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Historic Meeting Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Changes The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff. "He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked. Accountability Emphasized A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment." Path Ahead Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented. Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."