🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Religious Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism Following Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and victims gather in Vatican Square following the meeting with the Pontiff People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See. Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem. Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US. The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Inherited Issue The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches. "We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence. The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America. Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable." "Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on recently Church Regulations Changes The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo. "He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted. Accountability Emphasized A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress. "We realise 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 step in the correct path," they stated. Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."