🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Hope After Encounter with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and victims pose in St. Peter Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed 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 decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Historic Meeting Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence. The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada. Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on 19 October Canon Law Changes The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff. "He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence." The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Path Ahead Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated. Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."