People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought 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 very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
