People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
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 added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance 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 consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
