Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. 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 acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document 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
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
