People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
