🔗 Share this article

Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited 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 address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors 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 genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

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

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."