People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
