Activist says their message to Pope didn't get through — but they'll keep working to end clergy sexual abuse

A Newfoundland advocate for sexual abuse victims and LGBTQ issues didn't get the result they wanted from a recent pilgrimage to Rome — but says they won't stop trying.

In late September, Gemma Hickey, in a group with 10 other clergy abuse survivors and allies, carried an eight-foot cross on a 120-kilometre trek to Rome in the hopes of convincing Pope Francis to agree on a zero-tolerance policy for clergy who commit abuse.

When the group reached Rome, Hickey told CBC News, they handed their message to a Vatican representative but were later told the letter never made it to the Pope's desk.

"All I know is that I'll do whatever I can to raise awareness," Hickey said.

September's walk was inspired by a 2015 trek by Hickey: 908 kilometres across Newfoundland, with the goal of raising awareness for survivors of clergy abuse, which inspired the pilgrimage in Rome.

After the march in Italy, Hickey appeared in Geneva to represent Canada at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and then at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, to promote their zero-tolerance message.

"We were going to start a dialogue, a conversation. We had a couple of our international lawyers there with us, and we had some very, very productive discussions."

The emotions were overwhelming, says Hickey.

"Disgust, anger, betrayal — all these types of emotions. There's no reason for people who have abused children and vulnerable adults to still maintain this type of power within the church. They should be off the altar, defrocked. They shouldn't be entitled to this level of power or this level of access to vulnerable people," Hickey said.

People in Latin American are particularly vulnerable, said Hickey, because the church is often the centre of the community and provides assistance in obtaining food and other necessities, which makes it harder for survivors to come forward.

"No one will speak out because they don't want to lose food," Hickey said. "They don't want to lose clothes, and they don't want to speak out about their abuser. So these are the types of things that are coming up that we're hearing from people from different parts of the world."

On the pilgrimage, Hickey said they shared survivors' stories with people in rural Italy who spread the word about the walk on social media.

"That's one way to get our point across, you know, one of many ways. I wrote a letter to the Pope a few years ago, which made international news," said Hickey.

"The intention wasn't solely to reach the Pope, but rather to connect with the 400 survivors who contacted me. As a result, I was able to provide them with support. So, for me, it's about connecting with survivors, helping them, raising awareness, and holding the church accountable through the development of a network, lobbying, and strategizing."

Hickey is also working on a new documentary about the pilgrimage as well as sexual abuse by clergy around the world.

"The idea is to represent the global narrative of clergy sexual abuse by showcasing survivors from different parts of the world and talking about the pilgrimage and what that means," said Hickey.

"I look forward to lifting as many survivor voices as I can."

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.