People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
