People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning 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 understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
