People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove 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 globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
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 Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
