People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
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 Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, 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 listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims 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 genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol 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 church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise 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: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
