People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting 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 papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred 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 same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
