People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
