People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff 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 encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey 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 appreciated that."
