People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
