Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
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.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited 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 church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
