Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
