People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition 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 new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity 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 repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
