People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative 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 encounter, they expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
