Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, 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 victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
