People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, 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 woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
