People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of 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 globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
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 account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, 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 connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
