People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
