People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
