People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
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 conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
