People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
