Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
