People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive 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 globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
