Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism 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 building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
