People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
