Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders 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 held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
