🔗 Share this article Victims of Catholic Religious Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism After Meeting with the Pontiff Anti-Abuse Organization board members and survivors pose in St. Peter Square after the encounter with Pope Leo People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican. Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue. Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach 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 Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative. "We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked. Inherited Issue The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades. Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse. Personal Connection For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes. "Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office. The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey. The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America. They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted 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 receptive and eager to work with us." The Pontiff leads religious service in the Vatican on 19 October Church Regulations Changes The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo. "He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked. Responsibility Emphasized A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence." The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up." Path Ahead The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us." Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism 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 relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented. They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."