People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven 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 world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, 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," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
