Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed 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 connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
