People who endured 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, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
