Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
