People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "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 North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
