Victims of Church Religious Sexual Abuse Express Hope Following Meeting with Pope Leo

Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

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

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open 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 worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage 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 happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."