Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
