Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
