Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start 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 expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
