People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
