People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
