People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "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 native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"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 sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
