People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized 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 expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters 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 religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
