Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
