People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized 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 common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage 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 happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
