People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity 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 victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."