🔗 Share this article

People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders 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 senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"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 continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."