🔗 Share this article

People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."