People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning 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 voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
