People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims 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 start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
