Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
