People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
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 minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
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 resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope 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 right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
