People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
