People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
