🔗 Share this article

Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

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

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."