🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Religious Sex Abuse Voice Optimism Following Meeting with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization board members and victims gather in St. Peter Square after the encounter with Pope Leo People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem. Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Encounter Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth." "Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Reforms The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff. "He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked. Accountability Emphasized A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment." Moving Forward The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated. Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."