People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
