Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, 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 stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity 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 report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
