People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
