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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced 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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."