🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Religious Sex Abuse Voice Optimism Following Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors pose in St. Peter Square following the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated. Inherited Challenge The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse. Deeply Felt Link For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Encounter Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada. They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Church Regulations Changes The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally. They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff. "He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked. Responsibility Emphasized A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Path Ahead Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated. They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."