People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff 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 resistance," they stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise 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 move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
