Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
