People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
