People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
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 dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims 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 Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
