People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed 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 continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
