Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred 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 seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff 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 added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
