Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated 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.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders 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 represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
