People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
