Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member 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 "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, 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 commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
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 document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"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 strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
