People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy 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.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled 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 hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
