Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed 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 papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest 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 common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand 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.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
