People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
