People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel 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 made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
