People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
