Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start 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 end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
