People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
