Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
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."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
