People who endured abuse by church officials 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 meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
