Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
