People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
