People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. 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 papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
