People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
