Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, 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," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage 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 be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
