People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel 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."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise 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 strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
