People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
