People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged 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 pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
