People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared 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 collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"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 strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."