Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
