People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after 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 leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning 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 expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
