Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role 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 institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope 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 perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
