People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff 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," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, 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 building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they 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 appreciated that."
