People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, 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, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
