People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction 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 participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
