Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter 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 early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors 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 receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent 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 negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
