Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization 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 will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors 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 participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
