Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared 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," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff 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, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
