People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope 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 build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
