People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
