People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust 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 eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
