Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
