🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Clergy Sex Abuse Express Hope Following Meeting with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors gather in Vatican Square after the meeting with Pope Leo People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See. Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years. Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches. "We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence. The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada. Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in the Vatican on recently Canon Law Reforms The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff. "He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked. Accountability Emphasized A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence." The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up." Path Ahead Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated. Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."