People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
