People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
