Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
