Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled 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 story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
