People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes 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 activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned 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 document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope 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 building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
