Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
