🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Express Optimism Following Meeting with the Pontiff End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors pose in Vatican Square following the encounter with the Pontiff People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism 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 meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem. Global Strict Approach Advocated The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States. The Pope 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," they stated. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Personal Connection For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Historic Meeting Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth." "Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us." Pope Leo celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Changes The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted. Accountability Highlighted A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act." The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented. They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."