Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended 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 woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity 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 noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
