People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
