People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
