People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented 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 resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
