People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
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 resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" 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 giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
