Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope 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 hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
