Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group 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 policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
