Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully 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 abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
