Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
