People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own 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 very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized 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 noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage 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 be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
