People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads 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 problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
