People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."