Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
