Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
