Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
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 minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process 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 survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
