People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
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."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
