🔗 Share this article

Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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 acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently 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 common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

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

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

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 encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."