Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process 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 consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
