People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
