People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "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 sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
