People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
