Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
