People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
