People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, 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 genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
