People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust 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 abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "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 church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "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 stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
