People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
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 abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
