Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought 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 keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
