Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Strict Approach Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes 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 sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.
Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
