Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented 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 Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized 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," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey 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 continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
