People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared 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 stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told 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."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
