Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters 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 religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they 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 establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
