People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
