Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
