Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation 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 prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey 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 connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
