People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
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 pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed 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 encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."