People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
