People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, 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 different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims 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 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 specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
