Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 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 Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work 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 consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.
"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 build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
