People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced 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 relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
