People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
