People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, 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, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
