People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later 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 eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
