People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized 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," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
