Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
