People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
