People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations 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 gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
