People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned 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 listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand 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 correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
