Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
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For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, 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 characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, 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 building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
