People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
