People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged 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 pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
