Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership 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 defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors 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."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
