People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims 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 religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate 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 remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
