People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited 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 institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
