Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released 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 abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
