People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
