People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
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 policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
