Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
