People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope 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 bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
