People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
