Pope Leo XIV met with a coalition of survivors of abuse and victims’ advocates for the first time at the Vatican yesterday. Source: CNS.
Members of the board of Ending Clergy Abuse met with the Pope for about an hour in a closed-door meeting that was later confirmed by the Vatican.
“This was a deeply meaningful conversation,” Gemma Hickey, ECA board president and survivor of clergy abuse in Canada, said in a press release. “It reflects a shared commitment to justice, healing and real change.”
“Survivors have long sought a seat at the table, and today we felt heard,” Ms Hickey said in the statement.
“Pope Leo is very warm, he listened,” Ms Hickey said at a news conference, according to Reuters. “We told him that we come as bridge-builders, ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.”
While the group of six people representing ECA met with the Pope, video clips from the Vatican also showed a separate meeting between Pope Leo and Pedro Salinas, a Peruvian journalist and abuse survivor.
The international coalition of survivors and human rights advocates works to end clergy abuse, enforce accountability and promote justice and truth, according to its website, ecaglobal.org.
The group’s major initiative is a “zero tolerance” policy that would mandate: Church personnel to report abuse to civil authorities; immediately remove accused clergy pending investigations and provide victims with access to information and files related to their cases.
ECA members shared the Zero Tolerance Initiative with the Pope during the meeting, “emphasising the importance of consistent global standards, survivor-cantered policies,” the press release said.
Tim Law, ECA co-founder and a board member from the United States, said during a news conference after the meeting that Pope Leo acknowledged “there was great resistance” to the idea of a universal zero-tolerance law, according to The Associated Press.
However, Mr Law said he told the Pope the coalition wanted to work with him and the Vatican to help the idea gain traction, the AP reported.
The six board members attending the meeting also noted “the emotional significance of the dialogue”, the statement said.
“The board concluded the meeting by emphasising the urgent need for continued dialogue, compassion, and collaborative action to build a future where safety, accountability, and dignity are not only upheld but where the voices of survivors lead the way,” it said.
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Pope Leo meets with coalition of survivors of clergy abuse (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
