Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global strict approach 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 acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."
