🔗 Share this article

People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."