People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged 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 pushback," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared 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. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, 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 zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
