Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship 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 concludes - he valued that."
