Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism 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 building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."