🔗 Share this article

Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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