Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
