People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
