People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual 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 shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
