Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member 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 proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
