Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
