People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"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, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
