Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
