Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."
