Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy 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 US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity 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 victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
