Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
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 pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, 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," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
