Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, 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 persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."