🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Religious Sex Abuse Voice Hope Following Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and survivors gather in Vatican Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse." Significant Meeting Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable." "Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on recently Canon Law Changes The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked. Accountability Emphasized A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey shared they informed 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 voiced optimism for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented. They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."