🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism After Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global board members and survivors pose in Vatican Square after the meeting with the Pontiff People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Strict Approach Pushed The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Legacy Challenge The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse." Significant Meeting Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada. They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in Vatican City on recently Church Regulations Reforms The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff. "He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented. Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."