Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance 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," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."