Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
