People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared 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 collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled 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 "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.
"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 bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
