People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage 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 end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
