Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
