Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
