Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation 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 made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
