Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first 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 leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted 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 acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
