People who experienced 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 the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
