Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
