Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
