Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
