People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock 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 Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
