Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
