People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions 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 deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors 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 the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
