🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Religious Sex Abuse Voice Optimism Following Encounter with Pope Leo End Clergy Abuse Global representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square following the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem. Global Strict Policy Pushed The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States. The Pope recognized 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 resistance," they stated. Inherited Challenge The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years. Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse. Personal Link For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative. The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America. Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth." "Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in the Vatican on recently Canon Law Reforms The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide. They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized 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 noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward Hickey shared they informed 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." After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented. They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."