🔗 Share this article

Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document 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 report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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