Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating 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 approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added 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."
