Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, 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 characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
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 valued that."
