People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads 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 dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
