Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
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For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"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 connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
