Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
