Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told 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."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
