Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted 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 Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
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 encounter, Hickey expressed optimism 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 connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
