People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
