People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation 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 conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
