People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told 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."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
