🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Hope Following Meeting with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and victims gather in Vatican Square following the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked. Inherited Issue The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Link For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Meeting Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada. They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in the Vatican on 19 October Church Regulations Reforms The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide. They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff. "He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Emphasized A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence." The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, they expressed hope for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented. Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."