Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
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 tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, 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 Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
