People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate 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 work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed 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 facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism 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 establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
