People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
