People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
