People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
