People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
