People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
