People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff 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 encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
