People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff 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 recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, 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 stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
