People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"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 sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
