People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating 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 been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
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 North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized 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 document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
