People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy 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 position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
