People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged 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.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
