🔗 Share this article Survivors of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Express Optimism Following Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square after the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem. Global Strict Approach Pushed The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked. Inherited Issue The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Personal Connection For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Significant Meeting Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada. They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable." "Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Reforms The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally. They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff. "He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted. Accountability Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act." The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us." After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change. "We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented. They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."