Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."