People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey 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 establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
