Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
