People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
