🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Express Optimism Following Meeting with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and victims pose in Vatican Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See. The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States. The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions 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 current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada. They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable." "Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Changes The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff. "He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked. Responsibility Emphasized A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act." The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up." Moving Forward Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated. They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."