People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise 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 strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded 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."
