🔗 Share this article

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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

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 victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced 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 building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."