People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
