People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, 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 stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
