Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
