People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise 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 step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
