People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
