People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
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 Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal 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 making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey 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 establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
