People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
