People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
