Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt 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 aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
