🔗 Share this article

People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism 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 establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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