Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
