Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.
"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 persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
