🔗 Share this article

People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

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