Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses 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 globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
