Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
