People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, 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, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
