People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"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 build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
