People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
