People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff 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.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
