Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
