People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully 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 end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
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 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
