People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation 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 building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
