Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"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 correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
