Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
