Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented 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 acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
