Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
