People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
