People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
