People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
