Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, 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 transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
