People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting 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 campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
