Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
