Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, 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 problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"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 end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
