People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed 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 establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
