People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
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 Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
