People who endured sexual abuse by church officials 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 pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, 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 characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted 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."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
