People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
