People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy 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 approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told 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."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
