Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
