Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
