🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Religious Sex Abuse Voice Hope Following Encounter with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization board members and victims gather in St. Peter Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked. Legacy Issue The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades. Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse. Personal Link For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Encounter Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable." "Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in Vatican City on recently Canon Law Changes The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide. They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff. "He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented. Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."