People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
