People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," 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 changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
