Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
