Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond 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 alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
