People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "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 believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
