🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Religious Sexual Abuse Express Optimism After Encounter with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization board members and victims gather in St. Peter Square following the meeting with Pope Leo People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See. The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States. The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Inherited Issue The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches. "We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Changes The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff. "He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up." Moving Forward Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated. They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."