People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial 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 leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
