People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter 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 soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
