Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey 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 persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
