Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "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 realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
