People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
