Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist 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," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation 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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
