Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible 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 risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
