People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope 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 acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
