People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff 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 meeting, Hickey expressed hope 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 continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
