People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
