People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman 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, humorous, 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," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism 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 establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
