🔗 Share this article

Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."