Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
