People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
