Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
