Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"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 eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
