Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
