Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
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
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
