Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative 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."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
