Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse 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 informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is 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 understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
