People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged 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 remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
