People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
