People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
