People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance 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," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved 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 seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
