Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the 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 abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
