Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
