People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented 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 recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
