People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. 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 recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
