People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
