Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
