People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, 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 implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope 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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
