Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach 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 acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
