People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
