Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, 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 issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity 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 pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"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 build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
