Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses 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 some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity 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 document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative 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 meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
