People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
