Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
