Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
