People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually 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 proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
