People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction 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."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
