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, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought 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 organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing 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 concludes - he valued that."
