Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
