People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled 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 "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process 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 negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
