Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
