People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism 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 papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed 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, Hickey expressed optimism 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 build that bond is a move in the correct path," they 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 concludes - he appreciated that."
