Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
