People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest 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 certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand 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 strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
