Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
