People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
