🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism Following Meeting with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization representatives and victims pose in Vatican Square after the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See. The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue. Global Strict Approach Pushed The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated. Legacy Challenge The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Personal Connection For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Meeting Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to 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 personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth." "Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Church Regulations Changes The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally. They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff. "He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act." The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate 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, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented. They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."