People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors 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, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
