People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
