People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.
The Pope recognized 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 stated.
Inherited Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.
They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."
