People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
