Individuals who experienced 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 pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global 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 US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
