Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted 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 story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
