People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, 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 eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
