People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged 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 the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
