People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
