People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
