Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise 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 build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
