People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
