People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, 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 stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
