Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
