Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
