People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses 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 world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
