Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
