Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, 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 "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" 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," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told 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 meeting, 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, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
