Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
