People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, 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 Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors 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, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they 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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
