People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
