Pope Leo meets survivors of clergy abuse, pledges to listen and act

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo met survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy for the first time on Monday (Oct 20), days after a Vatican report accused senior bishops of failing to support victims or punish negligent church leaders.

The hour-long meeting at the Apostolic Palace included four survivors and two advocates from the global group Ending Clergy Abuse. Participants described the encounter as “a significant moment of dialogue,” saying the pope listened carefully and expressed warmth.

“Pope Leo is very warm, he listened,” said Canadian survivor Gemma Hickey. “We told him we come as bridge-builders, ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.”

CALLS FOR GLOBAL ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY

Survivors urged Leo to adopt a universal zero-tolerance law for clergy accused of sexual abuse. A similar policy was introduced by US bishops in 2002 after the Boston scandals.

“Why can’t we make it universal?” asked Timothy Law, a co-founder of the group.

Leo, the first US-born pope and a former missionary bishop in Peru, was elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis. Survivors said he appeared determined but still assessing how to address decades of abuse and cover-ups that have rocked the Church.

“I think he is still in a phase where he is trying to find out how to best address these issues,” said German survivor Matthias Katsch.

The meeting followed a scathing report from the Vatican’s child protection commission that faulted bishops for withholding information from victims about investigations and disciplinary action.

“I left the meeting with hope,” said Ugandan survivor Janet Aguti. “It is a big step for us.”