People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told 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 meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
