🔗 Share this article

Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."