People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
