Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters 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 "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"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 persisting to strengthen that bond 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 believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
