🔗 Share this article

People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct 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 negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."