🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Clergy Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism Following Meeting with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization representatives and survivors gather in St. Peter Square after the encounter with the Pontiff People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican. The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Strict Approach Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Inherited Issue The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades. Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. Personal Link For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes. "We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Encounter Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office. The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "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 Catholic residential school for native youth in North America. Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable." "Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Canon Law Changes The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff. "He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted. Responsibility Highlighted A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence." The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Moving Forward The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress. "We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated. Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."