People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse 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 deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they 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, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded 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."
