People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member 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 "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" 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 feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
