🔗 Share this article Survivors of Catholic Religious Sex Abuse Express Optimism After Meeting with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors pose in St. Peter Square following the encounter with Pope Leo Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See. Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem. Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated 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 child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States. The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated. Inherited Issue The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse. Deeply Felt Link For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches. "Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials." Historic Meeting Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America. They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable." "Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us." Pope Leo leads religious service in Vatican City on 19 October Canon Law Reforms The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide. They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo. "He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence." The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment." Path Ahead The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us." After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress. "We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated. They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."