People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, 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," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
