People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
