People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
