People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
