Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged 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 "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
