People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
