Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start 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 hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
