People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, 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," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, 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, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
