Survivors of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Express Hope Following Meeting with the Pontiff

Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

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For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff 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 made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

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