People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
