People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy 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 recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
