People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy 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 unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
