People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial 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 papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
