People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 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 Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "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 commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
