People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
