People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw 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 leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
