Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative 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."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
