People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate 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 seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
