🔗 Share this article

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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."