People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel 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 held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
