🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Religious Sex Abuse Express Hope Following Encounter with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors gather in Vatican Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated. Inherited Challenge The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades. Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence. The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable." "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 genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Church Regulations Reforms The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally. They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment." Path Ahead Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated. They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."