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 the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
