Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
