People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "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 Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, 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, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
