People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue 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 relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
