People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early 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 found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged 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," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience 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 giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
