People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
