People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought 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."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey 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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
