Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials 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 early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, 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 abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents 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 end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
