People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
