People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials 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 held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, 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 bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
