Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
