People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism 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," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
