Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism 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 connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
