People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise 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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
