Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
