People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
