🔗 Share this article

Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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