Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
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 pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian 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 aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
