People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
