People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
