People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, 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 abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report 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
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"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 connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
