People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized 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 Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
