People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, 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 noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope 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 encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
