Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope'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 organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
