🔗 Share this article Victims of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Voice Optimism After Encounter with Pope Leo Anti-Abuse Organization representatives and victims gather in St. Peter Square following the meeting with the Pontiff Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See. Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue. Global Strict Policy Pushed The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US. The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey. "Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked. Inherited Challenge The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years. Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse. Deeply Felt Connection For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches. "We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials." Significant Encounter Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence. The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative. The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America. Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable." "Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us." The Pontiff celebrates Mass in the Vatican on recently Church Regulations Reforms The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally. They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff. "He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked. Responsibility Highlighted A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act." The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up." Path Ahead Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us." After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change. "We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented. They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."