Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
