People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation 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 senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
