Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
