People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors 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 Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope 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 meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
