People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"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 bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
