Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"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 connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
