People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."