Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
