People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following 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 building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
