Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
