Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive 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 various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
