People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
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 dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
