People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits 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 globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy 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 papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
