People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, 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 commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
