People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
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 policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
