People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended 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 Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand 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 relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
