People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
