People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition 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 Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, 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 felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
