People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
