People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, 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 group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance 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 stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution 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 activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims 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."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed 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, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey 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."
