People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Pushed
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual 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 shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, 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 consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
