Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, 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 stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed 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 continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
