People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
