Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Challenge
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Historic Meeting
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."
