People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
