People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they 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 building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
