Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
