People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
