People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage 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 be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
