People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
