People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
