People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, heading 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 problem.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Legacy Issue
The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers 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 papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Path Ahead
Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation 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, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
