People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
