People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
