People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach 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 Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
