People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading 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 problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
