People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen 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 specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff 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, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
