People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
