People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
