People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
