People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
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.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
