People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
