Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
