Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal 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 church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
