Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
