People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared 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."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
