Overview

• Pope Leo XIV met in Vatican City with Ending Clergy Abuse, marking his first meeting as pope with the activist survivors’ organization.
• Group representatives said he agreed to keep a permanent dialogue as they advocate for a universal zero‑tolerance policy, though no binding church law was announced.
• ECA co‑founder Tim Law said the pope acknowledged there is “great resistance” to a universal rule but heard their request to work with the Vatican to advance it.
• Participants said the session included six survivors, lasted about an hour at the Apostolic Palace, and featured the pope listening closely to their accounts.
• The engagement contrasts with previous papal practice of meeting individuals rather than advocacy groups and follows a critical report from the Vatican’s child protection commission about slow responses to victims.