People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is 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 end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
