Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, 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 connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
