Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
