People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
