Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story 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," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
