Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"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 relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
