Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
