People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
