Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
