Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
