People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met 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 "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand 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 correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
