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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

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

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, 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 account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."