🔗 Share this article

Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."