People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice 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 advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
