🔗 Share this article

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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."