Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "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 future change.
"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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
