Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel 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."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
