People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following 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 move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
