Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
