Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
