Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise 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 strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
