🔗 Share this article

People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is 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 understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."