People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
